In its first weekend in theaters, Jackass Forever not only came in first place at the box office, but it’s $23.5 million-plus performance already means that the $10 million movie is comfortably in the black. 

That said, its cast is also in the black — well, black and blue — again, thanks to the long-running series’ bone-crushing stunts.

However, longtime Jackass director Jeff Tremaine and cast member Wee Man insist that the old adage of “you only hurt the ones you love” comes into play.

Tremaine suggests that the series’ success partly hinges on how long the Jackass guys have been together, since audiences can appreciate their camaraderie.

“It’s an authentic group of friends, right?” Tremaine tells ABC News. “The group that we’re doing this with is a family in a lot of ways, and so that helps you feel it even more.”

He adds, “You care about these guys, and you know their nuances and you know what they’re scared of and stuff. And so that all plays into it.”

Wee Man offers with a laugh about the audience, “The things we do, if they’re funny to us, we know it’s gonna be funny for you. And it’s always pain, and pain is what we’ve always done, but we have to go through it just to make sure the audience gets what they really need.”

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